Allen: Expect centrist ‘Last Man’

“Last Man Standing” isn’t rushing to pick up the “Roseanne” pro-Trump mantle when it starts life at its new network this fall.

Tim Allen, star of the comedy that was axed by ABC and picked up by Fox, said his character is a centrist who would support Trump administration policies that help his business. But Mike Baxter probably isn’t a vocal defender of President Donald Trump, Allen told TV critics this week.

Series executive producer Kevin Abbott described Allen’s character as a conservative Republican, but he said it’s unlikely the show will address Trump one way or the other.

Allen chimed in teasingly, saying, “Oh yes, we will.”

A change of network won’t change the show, which will remain familiar to fans of its ABC run, Abbott said: “The show was beloved by a large audience, and we want to keep that audience, and we hope expand it a little bit.”

“The only similarities with the ‘Roseanne’ show is we’re a family sitcom and the central character has a more conservative view,” Berry said.

Abbott and Allen said they were surprised by ABC’s abrupt 2017 decision to cancel “Last Man Standing” after six seasons, which Allen said was “very poorly handled.”

Allen said at the time that his personal politics – he attended Trump’s inauguration – might have played a role, and Thursday he said if there was a political motivation the network certainly wouldn’t admit it. But he added that it was a “financial decision on ABC’s part.”